An Inspector calls

There has been a huge demand for the GTC's wallchart and BIGGA's Machinery and Work Equipment Manual since an article was published in the latest edition of On Course.

There is a general requirement under Regulation 9 of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) "that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety, including methods which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken."

There are also situations where there is a statutory requirement to users to have a Certificate of Competence, for example application of pesticides, use of chainsaws and use of fork lift trucks.

At the same time the GTC produced its wallchart, BIGGA produced a Machinery and Work Equipment Manual, designed to complement the wallchart, and both were sent to every golf club in Britain.

Good management practice would be to have clear records of any training that has taken place. Whether it is carried out in-house or outsourced this should include:

• who attended the training
• who provided the training
• when the training took place
• what was covered on the course - the course outline
• outcomes of the course, results of any in-course assessment or report from the trainer, recommendations for further training
• records of assessments from independent sources LANTRA or NPTC

This list gives the information required to support the GTC Work Equipment Wall Chart.

In addition to a visit from the local authority health and safety inspector there are several other situations where you could reasonably be asked to provide information and records about the training and competence of your staff. These are:

• during a health and safety audit or annual visit from a company health and safety officer, insurance assessor or health and safety consultant
• to prove that a member of staff is competent following an accident. An inspector investigating the accident could legitimately ask whether the person using the machine was trained and competent to carry out the work. And again, can you provide the evidence?

"If you were asked these questions could you provide the information required?" said Education Director at the GTC, David Golding.

The wall chart is available from the GTC
Tel: 01347 838640 Email: fiona@the-gtc.co.uk

The Machinery and Work Equipment Manual is available from BIGGA
Tel: 01347 833810 Email: sami@bigga.co.uk

This article was compiled by John Davis of Jon Allbutt Associates. Tel: 01959 575575 Email: jon@jonallbutt.co.uk